KEY STAT
1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, 9 LOB. As someone pointed out in email, we seem to highlight how the Tigers didn't get the job done with men on base quite a bit even though they actually compare fine with the rest of the league and division. Well, when it's the story, it's the story. They had their chances and didn't get it done.
KEY PLAY
Alejandro de Aza got called up by the Sox today to play center field, since Alex Rios stinks, and rewarded Chicago with the their only runs: a 2-run HR off Max Scherzer in the second inning.
KEY THOUGHTS
Chris Sale shold have got the save. I hate the save stat. The fact he got 8 Tigers in a row out -- three by strikeout -- but got pulled with an out to go shows how stupid the stat is. Anyway that has nothing to do with Detroit but I had to get it off my chest.
So as we documented, to quote Rod Allen, the Tigers fell a run short because they just didn't make the best of their chances. Multiple innings runners were in scoring position with less than two outs. Multiple times, John Danks worked through it. He actually had a career-high 10 strikeouts. I believe they said on the TV broadcast that's the Tigers also struck out for their most amount of times this season. In any case, strikeouts and strands were the story.
Max Scherzer pitched a good game. Got in trouble a bit, sure, but got out of it.
Minor notes: Ryan Raburn made a nice throw to save a run in the seventh. With runners on first and third and one out, Carlos Quentin hit a shallow fly ball to left field. Juan Pierre tagged up, but Raburn's throw beat him easily to complete the double play.
With a hit today, Wilson Betemit has at least one hit in all five starts in the Tigers uniform -- though he did strike out three times today.
Notable:
Cleveland got no hit I'm sure you heard. They lost 2 of 3 to Los Angeles, who will be visiting Detroit for a four-game series this weekend. Minnesota won.
So Detroit returns from seven games at Chicago and Minnesota one game worse off against the White Sox. They picked up two games on the Indians -- and their biggest division lead of the season -- and 1.5 on the Twins.